Austin Healey Sprite

1958–1971 · Frogeye to Mk IV · the Midget’s twin

Cheap, light and quick — and from 1961 the same car as the MG Midget under the badges.

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About the Austin Healey Sprite

May 1958. The Mk I, code AN5, is the Frogeye: 948cc A-series, 43bhp on twin SU 1⅛in, the whole front end including bonnet and wings one piece hinged at the back, no boot lid at all — you tip the seat backs forward to reach the spare — quarter-elliptic rear springs and 7in Lockheed drums on all four corners. 48,987 were built to May 1961. The Mk II that followed was a complete restyle with the headlamps back where everyone else put them, a proper opening boot and a conventional rear bumper. It started on the 948 and changed to 1,098cc in October 1962 — and that is the same moment front disc brakes arrived, 8.25in Lockheed with the 7in drums kept at the rear. So a 948cc Mk II is a four-drum car and a 1098cc Mk II is not.

Two more changes matter. The Mk III of 1964 moved the rear springs from quarter-elliptic to semi-elliptic and brought wind-up windows, hinged quarterlights and, for the first time, exterior door handles. The Mk IV of October 1966 brought the 1,275cc engine, a permanently attached folding hood in place of the removable one, and separate brake and clutch master cylinders. Then the badge ran out: the last 1,022 cars in 1971 were sold as the Austin Sprite. On parts, the rule is simple. From June 1961 the MG Midget is the same car — grille, badges, trim, instruments and brightwork differ, everything mechanical matches mark for mark. But the 1500 Midget of 1975 onward shares nothing with any Sprite: no Sprite ever had the 1,493cc Triumph engine, a Triumph gearbox or a rubber bumper. Midget parts listed as “1500” or “1975-on” will not fit.

Austin Healey Sprite — specification & changes within the model

Mk I — AN5: May 1958 – May 1961, chassis AN5-501 to AN5-49584, 48,987 built. 948cc A-series (9CC), 43bhp, twin SU 1⅛in.
What makes a Frogeye: One-piece front end — bonnet and wings together, hinged at the back. No boot lid; you reach the spare through the tipped seat backs. Sliding side curtains, no exterior door handles. Quarter-elliptic rear springs.
Mk II — HAN6 then HAN7: From end of May 1961, 31,665 built. HAN6 948cc (9CG), 46.5bhp, twin SU HS2 1¼in, 20,450 built. HAN7 1,098cc (10CG), 56bhp, from October 1962, 11,215 built. Restyled body, headlamps in the normal place, opening boot lid. Rear springs still quarter-elliptic.
Brakes — the date that matters: 7in Lockheed drums all round until October 1962. Front discs 8.25in with 7in rear drums from the 1,098cc HAN7 onward. A 948cc Mk II is a four-drum car.
Mk III — HAN8: March 1964 – late 1966, chassis HAN8-38829 to 64734, 25,905 built. 1,098cc with the stronger 10CC block, 59bhp @ 5750rpm. Rear springs change from quarter-elliptic to semi-elliptic. Curved-glass screen, hinged quarterlights, wind-up windows, exterior door handles for the first time.
Mk IV — HAN9, HAN10, AAN10: From October 1966. 1,275cc A-series, 65bhp. Permanently attached folding hood replacing the removable top. Separate brake and clutch master cylinders.
The last cars: The final 1,022 cars in 1971 were badged Austin Sprite, the Healey name and royalty having lapsed.
Sprite and Midget: Midget from June 1961 is a badge-engineered Sprite. Sprite Mk II = Midget Mk I (HAN6/GAN1, HAN7/GAN2) · Sprite Mk III = Midget Mk II (HAN8/GAN3) · Sprite Mk IV = Midget Mk III (HAN9/GAN4). Mechanical parts interchange. Grille, badges, trim, instruments and brightwork do not.
Where it stops: The 1500 Midget, 1975 on, shares nothing with a Sprite — 1,493cc Triumph engine, Triumph gearbox, rubber bumpers, alternator. Anything catalogued “1500” is not a Sprite part.
Australia: Assembled from CKD kits at Pressed Metal Corporation, Enfield, New South Wales, from 1959 — Mk 1, 2, 2A, 3 and 3A, plus the Mk 3 Midget. The local Mk 2A and Mk 3A names do not match British usage, so an Australian-delivered car needs identifying by chassis number.
Electrics: 12 volt. One specialist source puts the positive-to-negative earth change at Sprite HAN9-72040 and Midget GAN4-60459, inside 1275cc production around late 1967 — but check your own car, because conversions are common.